Port of Long Beach terminals saw a dramatic increase in
cargo in February, moving nearly 37 percent more containers compared to the
same month one year ago, including an almost 46 percent surge in imports and a
17.2 percent jump in exports.
February’s total was 530,967 TEUs, with 279,144 TEUs being
imports, the highest volume of import containers for a February since 2007.
Exports rose to 140,626 TEUs during the month.
Empties were up 44.2 percent to 111,197 TEUs. With imports
exceeding exports, empty containers are sent overseas to be refilled with
goods.
The port is attributing the increase in Trans-Pacific trade
in part to the Lunar New Year holiday, which can slow goods production in many
Asian countries that export to the U.S. The holiday is determined by the lunar
calendar and in 2012 started in late January, which affected February 2012
numbers.
This year, the holiday was in mid-February and its effects
are likely to be reflected in March statistics.
Also, cargo increases in recent months are in part due to
the more frequent use of larger ships and the addition of service lines to Long
Beach. In the latter part of last year, two of the world’s largest ocean
carriers, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM, established exclusive hubs at
the Port of Long Beach.
For the port’s fiscal year, which began last Oct. 1, Long
Beach has seen a 17.8 percent rise in TEU traffic compared to the same five
months in the previous fiscal year.
Full details on the Port of Long Beach’s monthly and annual cargo
numbers can be found at polb.com/economics/stats.
